Articulated car



Aug. 23, 1927. 1,640,159

J. M. SUAREZ I ARTICULA TED CAR Filed July 6, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR,

duare 1 BY I ATTORNEY.

Aug. 23,1927. 1,640,159 J. M. SUAREZ ARTICULATED CAR Filed July 6, 19272 Sheets-Sheet 2 'TiqZ.

lm-llillumm v Patented Aug. 23, 1927.

warren STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH SUAREZ, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO STERLINGP. BUCK, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ARTICULATEI) CAR.

Application filed July 6,

This invention relates to articulated cars, and especially to animproved electric connection and its support.

The main object of this invention is to provide a device of thischaracter that is thoroughly safe, even in the event that an accidentoccurs which causes disconnection of either end of the electricconnection or cable section from its normally contiguous cableconnecting terminal.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which isextremely convenient in case of making repairs, providing for simplypulling one cable section from its connections or fastenings and pushinganother one of such cable sections into or onto such fastenings.

Another object is to provide an extremely, simple, convenient, effectiveand safe means to support the middle part of such cable section so as toobviate swaying thereof and to hold it out of contact with thearticulated car body sections, thereby obviating the wearing of theouter covering of the cable, and thus avoiding danger of any of theelectric conducting wires thereof coming into contact with any part ofthe car externally of the cable.

Another object is to provide the cable support with a sheave wheel whichhas rotary movement in accordance with the movements of thecar-body-sections towards and from the cylindrical vestibule or drum onwhich the sheave wheel is mounted.

Another object is to provide an improved rotary support for the sheavewheel, provided with ball bearings and with a watershedding flange toprotect the ball bearings.

Other objects and important features are pointed out or implied in thefollowing details of description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a. side elevation illustrating my invention as applied to theadjacent'endsof two articulated car body sections and a cylindricalvestibule between such sections.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view showing a section of electriccablesupported by a sheave-wheel which is supported by a pivotally mountedsupport adapted to be secured on a top of the cylindrical vestibule.

Fig. 3 is a frontorrear elevation of the cable supporting device, and asectional view 1927. Serial No. 203,692.

of an electric cable supported in the annular channel of thesheave-Wheel.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, the section being takensubstantially on the line 44 of Fig. 3, the piece of cable being shownin side elevation.

Referring to these drawings in detail, in Wlll-Ch similar referencecharacters correspondto similar parts throughout the several views, andin which the articulated car body sections are indicated at 5, thecylindrical vestibules vertical wall being indicated at 6, and its topor roof at 7; the invention includes these previously known parts incombination with fixed cable terminal connections 8, a continuous cablesection 9 having its terminals surrounded by an insulating sleeve 10, asheave-wheel 11 mounted on an axis 12, a pivotally mounted supportingmember 13, and a supporting base member 14, the latter being secured toth roof 7 by any appropriate means, but preferably by electricallywelding its lower edge to the roof 7, as indicated at 15 (Figures 3 and4). The axle 12' is preferably in the form of a headed andscrew-threaded bolt provided with anut 16 and a cotter-pin 17, the bolt12 extending through a central aperture of the sheave-wheel 11 andthrough horizontally alined apertures of a pair of spaced supportingears 18 of the member 13. The member 13 is provided with aball-bearing-race 19, and the member 14 is provided with aball-bearing-race 20, these races 19 and 20 receiving a series ofball-bearings 21 which support the member 13 and permit it to have freeand easy rotary movement to compensate for bending of the cable 9 whenthe car body sections 5 move into angular relation with I one anotherwhen turning upon a curved railway track.

To obviate the necessity of a locking means to lreep the parts 13 and14in the proper working engagement with one'another, the base member 14is provided with a central bore or socket 22 into which extendsavertical pivot or trunnion 23 which is preferably an integral part ofthe member 13. This member 13 is also preferably formed with adependingannular flange 24 which extends downward around an upstandingannular flange 25 of themember 14, thereby excluding water and otherforeign matter from entering the ball-bearing-races and the socket 22.

The members 13 and H- are of such simple construction that they can beeither cast or forged, then finished by a comparatively small amount ofmachining, and they may be made of any appropriate material. Thesheave-wheel 11 is preferably made of nonconducting material, of anyappropriate kind, and its annular channel as is substantiallysemi-circular so as to loosely lit around the lower part of the cablesection 9, but its flanges or channel walls extending a coi'isiderabledistance beyond the horizontal center of the cable section which isseated therein, to obviate any possibility of the cable sectionaccidentally leaving the channel of the sheave-wheel during operation ofthe articulated car, even when the car is turning around abrupt curvesor traveling over abrupt changes of grade of a railway track.

The cable 9 may be of any appropriate form, and include any necessaryand appropriate number of conducting wires for transmitting electricenergy to the motor or motors, for electric lighting, or electricheating, and for any other purpose, as may be or become necessary ordesirable. The conducting wires 27 are insulated from one another by anyappropriate insulating mate rial, as indicated at 28, and this insulatedmass is preferably surrounded by an insulating cover or casing 29. C fcourse the wires and insulating materials must be flexible, so theentire cable section 9 can bend repeatedly and many times withoutdetrimentally atl'ecting it or causing the insulation to fracture orpuncture, and besides, the casing 29 must be very durable, so it willnot quickly wear in consequence of its contact with the sh ave-wheel andits relative movements with respect thereto.

Referring to Figure 1, it will be seen that the cable supporting devicel113-14l supports the middle part of the cable considerably above theends thereof, thereby not only minimizing the sag, but also minimizingthe tendency of the cable connecting elements 10 to be pulled from thefixed terminal connections 8. In practice, the connections 8 and 10 maybe of any appropriate type, so they are normally securely engaged withone another, and can be easily disengaged by proper manipulation. Itshould be understood, however, thatin case of accident which separatesthe car body sections 5, one of the connections 10 will be pulled fromits engaged position, so the conducting wires will not be broken, theinsulation will not be fractured or punctured, and the conducting wiresare fully guarded against contact with the metallic parts 6 and 7, so nocurrent can be transmitted to these or any other metallic parts of thearticulated car. This is a very important feature which results T0111the provision of the large and fully insulating collars or sleeves whichform the outer parts of the movable cable connections 10.

Although 1 have described this embodiment of my invent-ion in detail, Ido not intend to limit my patent protection to these exact details, norto any specific materials, proportions or exact positions of the parts,but what I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination of two articulated car body sections each having anend provided with an electric cable coupling, an electric cable sectionextending continuously from one to the other of said couplings and beingnormally connected thereto but disconnectible therefrom, a vestibulebetween said articulated car body sections, and means mounted on thevestibule to support the middle part of said cable section.

2. The combination of two articulated car body sections each having anend provided with an electric cable coupling, an

electric cable section extending continuously from one to the other ofsaid couplings and being normally connected thereto but disconnectibletherefrom, a vestibule between said articulated car body sections, asupporting base member mounted on said. vestibule, a supporting memberpivotally mounted on said base member for rotary movement about avertical axis, and an insulating member carried by said supportingmember and provided with a seat for receiving the intermediate part ofsaid cable section and holding said intermediate part against saggmg.

The combination of two articulated car body sections each having an endprovided with an electric cable coupling, an electric .able sectionextending continuously from one to the other of said couplings and beingnormally connected thereto but disconnectible therefrom, a vestibulebetween said articulated car body sections, supporting means mounted onsaid vestibule, and a sheavewheel mounted on said supporting means andhaving its top part engaged with the middle part of said cable sectionso as to prevent sagging of said middle part while permitting a relativemovement thereof With respect to the said vestibule.

4;. The combination of two articulated car body sections each having anend provided with an electric cable coupling, an electric cable sectionextending continuously from one to the other of said couplings and beingnormally connected thereto but disconnectible therefrom, a vestibulebetween said articulated car body sections, a supporting base membermounted on said vestibule, a supporting member rotatable about avertical axis on said supporting base member, and a sheave-wheel havinga horizontal axis and Iii?) having its upper side containing theintermediate part of said cable section, substan tially as described,for the purposes specified.

5. The combination of two articulated car body sections each having anend provided with an electric cable coupling, an electric cable sectionext nding continuously from one to the other of said couplings and beingnormally connected thereto but disconnectible therefrom, a vestibulebetween said articulated car body sections, the said electric cablecouplings being over part of the roofs of the car body sections, andmeans mounted on said vestibule and supporting the middle part of saidca le section at a considerable distance above the level of said partsof the roofs, thereby preventing said cable section from sagging intocontact with the said parts of the roofs.

6. The combination of two articulated car body sections each having anend provided with an electric cable coupling, an electric cable sectionextending continuously from one to the other of said couplings and beingnormally connected thereto, the ends of salt cable section beingprovided with insu ing sleeves which have a considerably 'ger peripherythan the intermediate part of the cable section, and means between thecar body sections to engage with the intermediate part of said cable andhold it against sagging, for the purpose specified.

7. The combination of two articulated car body sections each having anend provided with an electric cable coupling, an electric cable sectionext-endin continuously i'rom one to the other of said couplings andbeing normally connected thereto but disconnectible therefrom, and meansbetween and associated with the car body sections to support theintermediate part of said cable section, for the purposes specified.

8. The combination of two articulated car body sections each having anend provided with an electric cable coupling, an electric cable sectionextending continuously from one to the other of said couplings and beingnormally connected thereto but disconnectible therefrom, and a yieldabiesupporting device connected to the intermediate part of said cablesection and associated with the ends of said car body s- :tions in suchmanner as to cooperate with the latter in supporting said cable sectionagainst detrimental sagging while permitting said cable to bendsubstantially throughout its length and thereby conform to the relativeangular positions of said car body sections,

9. The combination of two articulated car body sections, an electriccable including a part extending from one to the other of said car bodysections at points adjacent to the roofs of the car body sections, asupporting base member supported between said car body sections, asupporting member provided with a depending peripheral flange whichextends down around the top of said supporting base member and isadapted for rotary movement around a vertical axis on said base memberand for excluding water and other foreign matter from the top of saidsupporting base member, and means carried by said supporting member forsupporting the part of said electriccable which extends from one of saidcar sections to the other.

10. The combination of two articulated 3211 body sections, at least oneof said sections having an end provided with an electric cable coupling,a vestibule between said car body sections, an electric cable extendingcontinuously from one to the other of said car body sections andnormally connected to said coupling but disconnectible therefrom, and asupporting means on the vestibule, said supporting means including amember engaged with said electric cable for supporting it whilepermitting it to move with respect to said vestibule.

11.- The combination of two articulated car body sections, a vestibulebetween said sections, an electric cable extending from one to the otherof said sections and over said vestibule, and a supporting membermovably mounted over said vestibule and supporting a contiguous part ofsaid cable and automatically adjustable by movement of the saidcontiguous part of the cable.

12. In a cable supporting device for an articulated car, a base memberadapted to be secured on a vestibule of an articulated car, a supportingmember mounted for rotation about a vertical axis on said base member,and a sheave-wheel mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis on saidsupporting member, for the purpose specified. In testimony whereof Iafix my signature.

JOSEPH M. SUAREZ.

